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New York City Nanny Elena Bass Arrested For Child Abuse

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 02:21 PST, Dec 31, 2015

A New York City nanny was caught slamming a 6-month-old girl she was paid to babysit into a chair, and “violently removing” the baby from a changing table, police alleged. Elena Bass was reportedly caught abusing the infant on hidden surveillance cameras placed inside the home.

Elena Bass, 36, allegedly abused the 6-month-old baby girl just shortly before Christmas. When the parents of the infant saw the disturbing footage on the hidden cameras, they immediately called the police. Bass, a native of Georgia who currently lives on Staten Island, was arrested on Tuesday and arraigned on child abuse charges yesterday afternoon, the Daily Mail reports. Bass reportedly confessed to NYC police investigators that she is the woman who appears in the videos, but challenges the content of the tapes.

Court documents in the child abuse case allege that Bass picked the infant from the changing table in a manner which made her “head and body jerk.” The legal reports also maintain that the NYC nanny grabbed the baby out of the crib and then threw her back down.

The NYC nanny is also the director of the Staten Island Feral Initiative, a registered non-profit group, according to her social media profile. The group focuses on dealing with feral stray cats on the New York City island. The Google-listed website for the organization issues an “account suspended” notice when clicking on the link. The synopsis still visible in search results says the group of volunteers refer to the feral cat initiative as “SIFI,” and founded the effort in July, 2008.

An excerpt from the Staten Island Feral Initiative LinkedIn page which features a photo of Elena Bass, reads as follows.

“Through community empowerment and provision of resources, we are working to end the cycle of free-roaming cat reproduction, creating a better existence for both humans and cats on the island, and also reducing the flow of cats and kittens into city shelters.”

Neighbors of the nanny, who were interviewed by local reporters but not named when quoted, said that Elena Bass was a “little off” and was widely known for taking in stray cats and often referred to as the “cat lady.”

The NYC babysitter caught abusing the baby on a nanny-cam reportedly majored in Women’s Leadership Studies at Maryland’s Salisbury University, the New York Daily News reports. In a social media post, Bass described herself as having a “passion for justice” and said she hopes to leave the world a “kinder, smarter, more functional place, and inspire others to do the same.”

Earl Roberts, the attorney for the New York City nanny, said that his client strongly feels that the nanny-cam tape viewed by the police is not accurate. According to Roberts, one of the hidden surveillance camera tapes “sped up at the end.” The unidentified mother of the infant did note that there is a “problem” with the tape, the attorney contends.

NYC nanny Elena Bass arrested for allegedly abusing 6-month-baby girl in her charge

When she was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court and released without bail, Elena Bass was accompanied by her husband. Her spouse reportedly issued a terse “no comment” to the flurry of local reporters who surrounded the couple as they exited the courthouse. Bass was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The child abuse incidents allegedly took place inside a Brooklyn apartment building located at Schermerhorn Street on December 22 and 23, CBS News reports.

Do you feel that it is safe to leave your child in the care of a nanny or babysitter or use hidden cameras to record how the child is being treated when you are away?

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